Labor Management and Industrial Physical Education in Wartime Japan

After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Japan faced the urgent need to efficiently mobilize and manage its labor force for the war effort. As the conscription of skilled workers exacerbated labor shortages, “Industrial physical education (産業體育)” was adopted as a means of labor management. While “Factory physical education (工場體育)” had been significant at the corporate level, the 1939 Labor Management Research Committee institutionalized industrial physical education as a state-led initiative for the maintenance and cultivation of the labor force. The term “physical education (體育)” in this context refers to exercise and training, not to formal schooling. Industrial physical education originated from factory physical education in the 1920s. Research findings demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing morbidity and absenteeism among workers, leading to the implementation of instructor training programs and lecture sessions. In the 1940s, the Greater Japan Industrial Patriotic Association (産業報国会) took a central role in the systematic promotion of industrial physical education. However, industrial physical education failed to fully achieve its intended effects. A 1941 study by the Institute of Labor Science revealed that accumulated worker fatigue hindered participation, and rigid, uniform training methods proved inefficient. While industrial physical education was promoted as a key policy for labor force maintenance and productivity enhancement, its effectiveness as a labor management strategy remained limited, constrained by worsening labor conditions and unresolved structural problems.